Short Summary

AFRICAN FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION LEO RWABWOGO OF UGANDA WON A PLACE IN THE OLYMPIC BOXING TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL WHEN HE OUTPOINTED TIBOR BADARI OF HUNGARY ON MONDAY.

Description

AFRICAN FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION LEO RWABWOGO OF UGANDA WON A PLACE IN THE OLYMPIC BOXING TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL WHEN HE OUTPOINTED TIBOR BADARI OF HUNGARY ON MONDAY. AND HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMAN, BANTAMWEIGHT ERIDADI MUKWANGA, CAME THROUGH TO THE QUARTER FINALS WITH A SPECTACULAR VICTORY OVER RUMANIA'S NICOLAE GIJU, THE EUROPEAN CHAMPION.

RWABWOGO, 1967 UGANDAN BOXER OF THE YEAR, GAMBLED EVERYTHING ON CONTINUALLY TAKING THE BOUT TO THE TALLER BADARI, A USEFUL COUNTER PUNCHER -- AND HIS STRATEGY PAID OFF WHEN HE WON BY A NARROW 3-2 DECISION.

RWABWOGO NEEDED A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO TAKE THE MEASURE OF THE HUNGARIAN'S SOUTHPAW DEFENCE AND BADARI WHO IS ONE OF THE LONGEST REACHING FLYWEIGHTS IN BOXING, LANDED THE GREATER NUMBER OF SCORING BLOWS IN THE FIRST ROUND. IN THE SECOND ROUND RWABWOGO ATTACKED RELENTLESSLY AND ALTHOUGH THE HUNGARIAN MADE A GREAT EFFORT TO HIT BACK IN THE FINAL ROUND, HE COULDN'T PREVENT RWABWOGO GAINING THE DECISION.

IN THE BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT, ERIDADI MUKWANGA SCORED THREE KNOCKDOWNS IN A MINUTE IN THE SECOND ROUND WITH GIJU OF RUMANIA. IN THE FIRST ROUND THE UGANDAN SCORED FROM THE START WITH A SERIES OF UNORTHODOX RIGHTS TO THE BODY. IN THE SECOND HE DROVE GIJU INTO A CORNER AND FLOORED HIM WITH A FLURRY OF RIGHTS TO THE HEAD. THE RUMANIAN HAD GONE DOWN FOR THE THIRD TIME WHEN THE REFEREE ENDED THE BOUT TO GIVE MUKWANGA A PLACE IN THE QUARTER-FINALS.